Minister Gvozdenovic presents Montenegro’s climate change plans at UN conference

Minister for Environment and Spatial Planning Branimir Gvozdenovic discussed Montenegro’s plans for addressing the climate change effects at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Cancun (November 29 – December 10). He presented documents that address climate change impact on Montenegro and its economy, emphasising the importance of these documents for a country that seeks to become a regional leader in the area of climate change.

Minister Gvozdenovic underlined that in terms of Montenegro’s expected upgrade to EU candidate status it would be extremely important to harmonise the legislation in this area. UN Climate Change Secretary Christiana Figueres agreed for Montenegro to receive expert assistance in adopting the standards set out in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto protocol aimed at obligatory decrease in GHG emissions.

Secretary Figueres emphasised the fact that Montenegro, being a small economy, will adjust more easily than others to the changes and risks brought about by climate change.

The Cancun Conference is a continuation of a series of conferenences started in December 2007 in Bali, December 2008 in Poznan, and 2009 in Copenhagen. During the conference, Montenegro will attend the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) that addresses trade in “green certificates” for reduced gas emission.